Ready, Willing and Able. Are You Ready to Become Your Own Boss?

You have been dreaming about it for some time now. You talk about it with your friends and family, you are certain you have a great idea, and you may even have an elaborate business plan. Someday soon, you will be your own boss. Yet there always seems to be something that keeps you stuck as a “wantreprenuer”, and no closer to realizing your vision of becoming an entrepreneur.

What’s holding you back? Is it lack of confidence, fear of failure, a shortage of cash, or a combination of obstacles? All of these challenges, and more, are what keep some people on the sidelines while so many others charge ahead and launch their own business. Some of these challenges are perceived, and others are undeniably real. The question is, when and how do you know if you are prepared to become your own boss?

In my experience, it can be summarized by assessing if you are ready, willing and able. You have to be mentally and emotionally ready, you must be willing to sacrifice the time and effort required, and you must be able to afford the investment of time, money and energy.

By honestly assessing what is holding you back, you can begin to make real progress and get started on your journey to realizing your dreams.

Are you mentally and emotionally READY?

For most people, the fear of personal failure is often the biggest obstacle. Are you afraid of the embarrassment of personal failure – having to tell those you care about that you failed – or is it the fear of financial failure (i.e. you’ve taken a second mortgage on your house, borrowed against your 401(k) or used all of your savings)? There is a significant difference between these two types of fear. The former is mostly perceived and self-imposed, and the latter is a harsh realization of the potential impact of failure on your personal and family finances.

If your business idea requires you to risk everything you have financially, and failure would put you and your family in a precarious position, then it’s fair to say that you are likely not ready. You either need to adjust your business idea, or wait until you are in a more stable position financially.

How do you view failure? Is it something to be avoided at all costs, or something you can learn from? Once you have identified your financial exposure, the fear you must face and conquer is of the personal and perceived variety. You must overcome the fear of embarrassment. More debilitating than embarrassment, however, may be the lack of confidence in your ability to succeed. The story you tell yourself is probably one written for you by others who also remain permanently on the sidelines. The story you write for yourself is about having confidence in your abilities. Courage is not the absence of fear, but experiencing fear and moving forward anyway. Successful entrepreneurs harness that fear to fuel their intensity and desire.

To help you assess if you are ready, ask yourself these questions:

How do you view risk, and what type of risk (reputation or financial) are you really concerned with?

Do you have a solid plan to succeed, but are prepared to fail?

If the business fails, will that put you and your family in a dire financial position?

Are you ready to face and overcome your fears and get started?

Do you have confidence in your abilities (and of your partners and your team) to succeed?

Are you WILLING to put in the time and effort?

What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your business success? Are you willing to give up hobbies, free time, family time and hanging out with friends? Your success in business, as with many things in life, is directly proportionate to your discipline and sacrifice. Business success is typically a long-term journey, filled with setbacks, demanding consistency and dedication.

There are few “overnight successes” in the business world. It may seem that way, as we are constantly exposed to glamorized examples of huge and seemingly immediate success. Indeed, there are certainly plenty of instant success stories. The reality for most small business owners, however, is that it takes time to build a profitable venture. More often than not, a successful entrepreneur’s journey is marked by overcoming challenges along the way.

As a business owner, you will likely work harder than you have ever worked before. Once you cross over into the world of entrepreneurship, you assume the ultimate responsibility for everything. There will be times when the work to be done seems endless. To get through it all will require your maximum possible effort.

Here are some additional questions to help you assess your willingness to start your own business:

Are you willing to work harder than you ever have?

Are you willing to be challenged constantly and always be learning new things?

Do you have a passion for your business idea?

Are you ready to delay gratification, or are you searching for immediate results?

Are you desperately looking for a get-rich-quick scheme or are your willing to build your business over time?

Are you prepared for the impact on yourself and your family?

Are you ABLE to afford the investment of time, money and energy?

Starting and managing a business requires a significant investment of time, money and energy. As I mentioned above, you must be able to sacrifice the time you currently spend on other activities and interests. You will need to be prepared to dedicate most of your time to your business. While you can definitely start out small, there will likely also be a personal financial investment. Of course, to top it all off, you must be able to physically and emotionally handle the challenges and stresses of being your own boss.

Time is our most precious resource. Managing and allocating your time will be critical to your success. You may have to keep your current job while you build your business on the side. If you have a family, then you definitely have responsibilities you must continue to make time for. You must consider everything that requires your attention currently, and then honestly assess what you are willing and able to sacrifice. In my personal experience, starting a new business requires considerably more time than you might expect or plan for.

A lack of capital is perhaps the most common reason people site for not starting their own business. As you develop your business plan, and in particular your financial projections, it’s critical that you calculate the financial investment requirement as accurately as possible – and add an additional contingency amount. The most common reason small businesses fail is they run out of cash.

You must be ready to invest your own money, and also need to be ready and able to guarantee any amount you borrow. If you don’t have the financial wherewithal now, then perhaps scaling or delaying your plans may be the best approach. Adjusting your idea may mean starting out smaller than you initially envisioned, and then growing methodically through bootstrapping (reinvesting your profits). It may also mean keeping your day job until you can move into business ownership fulltime. It often also means adjusting your spending habits and reducing your debt.

It requires boundless energy to start and build a business. The initial excitement will provide you with a tremendous boost, but the long-haul business building journey will require significant energy and stamina. Your personal health will largely dictate your ability to persevere.

Assess your ability to build a business by asking yourself these questions:

Are your personal finances in order and are you credit worthy?

Do you have savings and assets to invest or pledge as collateral?

What’s your worst case financial scenario if the business fails?

How will you recover financially if your business fails?

Do you have the support of your family, and should you do it anyway if you don’t?

Do you have the energy and health to endure the long and arduous process of starting and growing a business?

An honest and mindful assessment is the key to determining if you are ready, willing and able to start your own business. If your timing is not quite right, then you can immediately start identifying and addressing those areas which are holding your back. Develop a plan of attack for addressing your shortcomings, and prepare yourself properly for your journey into entrepreneurship. Delaying your start does not mean that you are giving up on your dreams. It means that you are diligently working on the foundational components that will put you in the best position possible to realize your success. Starting and running a business is hard work, but the rewards can be tremendous. If you still think business ownership is for you, then start charging ahead today and begin your exciting entrepreneurial journey.

About Henry Lopez

Henry Lopez is Co-Founder of Levante Business Group, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners grow their business. You can find more resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners at http://www.levantebusinessgroup.com

Coaching Model for Business Success

Also known as ‘process of transition’, the U-Process coaching for business success is a coaching for transition towards change. The client receiving the coaching can experience change in their emotions, from denial to acceptance and moving forward.

There are three stages in Scharmer’s U-Process of coaching. These are sensing, presence and realizing. These three stages represent the basic aspects of the process and all following the initial education process.

Before going to the U-Process model, the coach and the client should first establish what their goal is for doing the coaching. They should both be in accord with their targets as they processed with the U-process.

The U-Process Scharmer’s Model

The first stage in the U-process of Scharmer’s model is sensing. This is the part of the process where the coach helps the client build awareness through observation. The client needs to be able to observe his business, its current standing in the industry and the world, if he aims to have his business globally competitive. The second stage is presence; this is the part in the coaching model where the coach and the client start to receding, reconsidering, and allowing an inner perceptive to develop. The last stage is realizing it is about acting fast with natural flow from the knowledge the client acquired from awareness and presence.

The U-process model is about integrating with the world. At the second stage of the U-process is the “inner gate” where we drop the baggage of our journey, going through a threshold. It is like giving a re-birth to the client’s business. This helps the client to let go and discover whom they truly are, to see from the deepest portion of themselves, emerging consciousness that increases with a change in purpose.

The U-Process Study Case

The U-Process Study case created during the Global Convention on Coaching (GCC) by Dr. Sunny Stout Rostron, DProf, MA was for collaboration dialogue of stakeholders in one’s company. There are five process and based on the Scharmer’s U- Process model. The processes are:

Co-initiation – This process is about being sync with one another on the goals. Empathizing and knowing what the co-collaborator or stakeholder want to do to achieve the goals.

Co-sensing – This is the part where all the collaborator or stakeholder observes, from the doing researches to within the industry their company or organization belong, to what their business is currently at.

Presencing – Connect to the source of inspiration and will. Go to the place of silence and allow the inner knowing to emerge.

Co-creating – Pattern the new with living examples to explore the future by doing the strategic plan.

Co-evolving – Exemplify the innovative in the environment that enable understanding and performing from the whole. This process includes three stages: pre-convention, convention and post-convention.

This model is not only applicable for collaborative problem solving of stakeholders, it is also applicable for each individual member of the company or the organization. It only varies from where they would channel their inspiration, to how they will co-evolve themselves with the current process.

About Dr. Cherry A. Collier

Dr. Cherry is the Chief Collaboration Officer and the Master Certified Head Coach of Personality Matters, Inc. Personality Matters Incorporated provides many services including coaching, leadership, and organizational development. It is Personality Matters, Inc.’s goal to help facilitate the necessary resources and tools to help individuals and organizations grow to achieve their goals.

She is an Organizational Psychologist and Inclusion strategist who empowers individuals and organizations to recognize and value their human potential advantage leading to increased satisfaction and collaboration at home, work, and in the community.

She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Georgia. She is a college professor, executive consultant and facilitator of change. She is a Denison Culture Certified Consultant, ICF Master Certified Coach, NLP Master Coach & Trainer and certified in TTI assessment tools, HBDI, DISC, CPI and True Colors.

Dr. Cherry is the author of Move Out of Your Own Way and a 100+ book series on The Science and Art, a collection of best selling books that are being used as the reference of leaders, executives, managers and coaches from a variety of industries and professions.

Sales Tips For Coaches

One of the biggest challenges I hear from coaches I work with is that they don’t have enough clients. They give away free session after free session, host free talks, webinars and interviews and have hundreds of people interested in working with them, but when you ask them how many clients they actually work with, the answer is usually “not enough!”. “Not enough” often translates into financial terms as well, which means that great coaches often cannot do enough great coaching because they are unable to earn enough money to make it a sustainable business. Sound familiar?

Coaching, in its various formats, is a multi billion dollar industry with millions of people around the world paying experts to help them improve some area of their life. People can see the value in coaching and are willing to invest money in themselves when they see the potential return. There are people in your niche making plenty of money right now, and the reason they are making the money is because they have learned how to generate enquiries and turn them into paying clients.

This is the essence of selling, often a dirty word amongst coaches. After all, you do such a great job as a coach, you shouldn’t have to sell your services. Plus if someone wanted to work with you, they would just buy. If you have to push them to do something, eventually they are going to resent it and that will damage your relationship with them.

If you have ever heard yourself saying any of the above, you have “stuff” around selling. “Stuff” is the not-so-technical term for limiting beliefs and associations that are attached to a concept. If you want to go into it a little deeper (which I am not sure we have time for in this post), then coaches face an additional challenge of selling themselves, which raises all sorts of self-worth type questions. However, assuming for the moment that you are confident in the value of what you are selling, let’s look a little at the issues around selling you have, and some practical tips on what you can do to get over this fast.

Issue 1 – Salespeople are…

How do you complete this phrase? Are you full of glowing compliments for salespeople, or do you immediately think of the stereotypical fast-talking, only-interested-in-the-deal kind of hustler that is only interested in your money? Many peoples’s global beliefs and generalisations around salespeople immediately push them away from any personal associations with sales and selling. However, to be great at what you do, you have to sell. For example, do you want to be a great author or a “best-selling” author? Maybe it is time to examine your personal beliefs around sales people.

Issue 2 – What Do I Say?

Have you heard of the Xanadu close? Or the Orchid sales strategy? Or what about the PAWS approach to asking questions? I hope not, I just made those three things up. However, there are a million and one sales tactics out there designed to make you better at selling. The problem is not really ‘what do you say’ but more ‘what DON’T you say’! Information overload happens everywhere, and sales is no different, and where there is confusion there is usually inertia. Shortly you will learn that sales is simply a conversation with a desired outcome, so lets keep it simple.

Issue 3 – What If They Reject Me?

Ok, now we raise the big issue of rejection. You are a great coach, you can build rapport with anyone easily and you develop close relationships that allow you to help people improve their lives. So what if they say “no” when you ask them to buy something. Yikes! This is the biggest fear for all salespeople, not just coaches, so first of all, lets just accept that it exists. Yes, you will face rejection, and even if you are a great salesperson, you will probably hear “no” more often than “yes”. Just accept that you don’t like rejection, and that it is a natural part of selling. As Susan Jeffers wrote ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Just remember that you have a bigger dream for yourself which you won’t let this fear hold you back from.

Ok, now we know the issues, take a deep breath and leet them go… feel better? Do those issues still exist? Of course, they aren’t going to go away over night. However, now that you have addressed them and accepted them, we can move forward.

So how do we sell? Rather than try and get you to do everything all at once, here are my top three tips for people who want to start selling more.

Action 1 – Tell Them Right From The Start

I’m sure you have heard of the Aristotlian triptych of “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them”? Setting the agenda and telling people what is going to happen up front allows them to relax and enjoy the process. If you suddenly spring a sales pitch on someone unawares, this will seem out of place and therefore have a lower chance of success. For example, if you are conducting a free session, introduce the session by saying “we are going to go through a number of process and then, when we are finished, we will look at the possible ways we can work together moving forward”. Throw in a couple of nicely worded presuppositions if you like, but when you start to tell them about your options, they won’t react adversely.

Action 2 – Be Prescriptive

Imagine going to the doctors. You sit down and before you open your mouth, the doctor starts telling you all of the different treatments that exist for all the different possible illnesses. Is that what normally happens? No, you usually have a consultation where the doctor examines you and then you are prescribed a course of treatment. As people, we trust people with expertise to make the best decision for us, and your potential client probably wants a little guidance on what direction to take rather than leaving the choice in their hands. Being prescriptive with your sales offering makes it easier for your client to say yes by removing any superfluous options.

Action 3 – Follow Up

Many people do not like to be forced into making decisions and prefer to think about it first. Many sales approaches discourage thinking and tell you to strike while the iron is hot, and whilst this may work in some situations, it might not be as conducive to coaching. If someone enjoys your session and then wants to think about their options then this is fine. What is not fine, however, is that you put the emphasis on them to call you back and buy. Follow up with them, via email at least but I would recommend in person where possible, to give them a second or third chance to buy. If they don’t want to work with you, that is one thing, but if they aren’t ready to work with you yet, then that is something completely different. Maintain contact, keep in touch, and give them plenty of opportunities to say yes in the future.

If you adopt these three behaviours, you will see significant improvements in your sales rates as a coach. At first, it might seem a little clunky and awkward, but practice will make you more effective and better able to include these elements in your normal coaching conversations. Please post any comments and thoughts you may have below.

Do You Know Where to Start in Growing Your Business?

This is one of the common answers I hear having asked the question – how can I help you?

So in my business, practitioners are coming to me to help them grow their businesses/practices which generally means they need clients. They are heart centred service professionals and the fact that you are part of this community, I imagine you are one of these too and can relate.

You may have just the same question too.

Where to start?

Well, there are no hard and fast rules as far as I am concerned, but one of the most helpful places to start is to ask yourself WHY?

The big why.

The reason you took that training and paid all that money and spent all that time. What inspired you to do that?

My guess is that it is because you experienced some type of transformation in your life and so you want to go and share that with others because it has been so life changing for you. It might be a health issue, a relationship struggle, a financial challenge or a mental/emotional situation. Whatever it is, I encourage you to write it down and dig deep.

This is the fuel for your journey of growing your business. At least it’s one type of fuel I know of that works. When you really dig into your big why, your reason for embarking upon the road less travelled (not the traditional job route), you will feel the inspiration and the next step ie, where to start, will most likely reveal itself to you.

There are a couple of reasons I see why this happens.

1. As you explore the question… WHY… your thoughts are changing and so are your feelings. Generally this leads to feelings of inspiration as you uncover the reasons why.

2. You will feel more connected to the Source/Universe/God as old habitual thinking of overwhelm or confusion drop away. This leaves space for new thoughts to emerge and the first step to be seen.

Ever feel like giving up?

Your big why is what will keep you going in times you feel like giving up, that’s why it’s so important to write it down and keep it somewhere you can refer to when required. We all have those times we feel like throwing in the towel. Yours might sound something like:

“I’m just not good enough”… or

“nobody will ever work with me”… or

“why do I keep struggling when I could just get a job?”

This is completely “normal” and normal in this context means you are not the only one! I speak to lots and lots of solo-preneurs who feel like giving up many times over and yet something keeps them going (most of them anyway).

They remember WHY they chose to do their “thing” whether it’s coaching, massage, teaching, homeopathy or creating dream weekends for people. Quite often they remember how it felt to them to not have the solution to the problem they had and if they hadn’t found that particular service, their lives would not have changed.

Remembering the big WHY is what gets most practitioners jumping out of bed in the morning and raring to take action.

Me too!

Here’s a little of my BIG WHY shared with the intention of helping you get yours written.

I love to help people who love to help people! I love knowing that for each person I can support with their work, there is a ripple effect through the work they are doing and so it goes on rippling out in the world. I also know that what I do is not just about business. My work helps on a very personal level too and that ripples out within a person’s personal life too.

My aim through sharing the understanding of the Three Principles is specifically to help end unnecessary human suffering. As I watch and listen to what is happening in the world, I quite often question us as a species, why do human beings cause so much destruction and pain and how can I help to change it? I always come back to the same answer. The reason I see that this is happening is because of a lack of consciousness and misunderstanding.

When I hear stories of young girls being sold into prostitution, my heart is so heavy it hurts and I ask why again. Why would one human being do this to another human being? What is wrong with them? And then I remember again. The misunderstanding. That’s WHY I do what I do.

So if I can help in some way to open people’s eyes to the misunderstanding and point them in the direction of how it all works, then that’s what I want to do.

That’s what I am doing and that’s what keeps me going when I feel like it’s all too much or too little, or that little voice tells me I’m just not good enough at what I do.

So what’s your BIG WHY?

I encourage you take 10 minutes to uncover it. Please don’t underestimate the power of knowing your BIG WHY, it really can reveal your next step to growing your heart centred business.

I’d love to hear your BIG WHY. Please share with the community either on the blog knowing that this inspires others, or if it’s not for public consumption, send me a private message by emailing *protected email*

About Sheela Masand

Sheela Masand was a co-founder and working partner of a multi-million Euro import business in Spain where she has lived for over 29 years. Her passion to help more people led her to open her current business, SheelaMasand.com, where she specializes in coaching and mentoring heart-based service professionals worldwide to get more clients and make more money.

Since coming across the Three Principles that explain how our lives work on a spiritual and psychological level, her work has shifted to become more organic, guided by wisdom and less dependent on tools and techniques. Her clients speak of major transformations in the way they see marketing, and instead of it being the hated piece of their business, they are happy to jump in and work their plans because it is fun, authentic and non-sales-y.

Sheela loves to work with people who are passionate about helping others have their own transformations, she sees herself as a support system for the helpers of the world. She has several different mediums through which she offers the support including bespoke one to one coaching programmes, VIP Days and an annual telesummit in partnership with a not for profit, plus several different training events and retreats on the sunny Costa Blanca in Spain.

Sheela can help you to attract more clients and make more money in a fun and authentic way. Visit http://www.sheelamasand.com to pick up a special free gift “Top 3 Secrets to Attracting Clients without Spending a Cent.”

Creativity Is Essential For Your Business Success

In my personal life and in my business coaching I place a lot of importance on creativity.

Not just because I think it’s an essential component of living an abundant life, but also because it’s an important aspect of business success.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive to think so, all businesses require creativity.

Every type of business is in danger without it. And yes, this includes your business and mine.

Some would say that creativity is reserved for businesses involved in the arts or for those who label themselves as Creatives. But actually this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Without creativity, a previously successful business can quickly become one that fails. One that withers and fades away. One that loses relevance.

Creativity is not some fanciful, woo-woo, unsubstantiated process. Creativity is not some magical gift you are either born with… or not.

Creativity is the ability to see things from a different perspective. Creativity is the ability to – wait for it – have new ideas.

You are creative. Have no doubt!

Creativity in business is not as simple as “you are” or “you aren’t”. Creativity in business is not one single thing. It is complex. It’s multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. And it can look different in different businesses.

But no matter your business focus, when you infuse your problem-solving with imagination, you are being creative. When you add imagination and open-mindedness to your logic and knowledge base, you are being creative.

If you aren’t able to see yourself as creative, if you aren’t able to be open-minded about the possibilities and opportunities ahead of you, if you aren’t able to imagine a different way of doing things in the future… you risk stagnating and ultimately, failing.

If you aren’t able to see yourself as creative, you risk NOT building the business you dream of. Because if you can’t envision it, you can’t create it.

Your business needs your creativity to weather the ups and downs. Your business needs your creativity in order to thrive, not just survive, the inevitable changes in the landscape of this ever-changing world.

When you are the thought leader for your tribe, you are expressing your creativity.

When you are tapping into your intuition, becoming an even more effective guide for your clients, you are expressing your creativity.

Your creativity is what allows you to identify new and profitable business growth opportunities, as well.

The ways in which your creativity is expressed in your business is limitless, really.

In reality, you are expressing your creativity in ALL aspects of your business – especially as you flourish.

But wait! That sounds like a LOT of pressure if you aren’t comfortable it, right?

Aha! I know how you feel.

I too used to think I was anything but creative. I mean, I’m a left-brain, logical scientist for Pete’s sake! How in the world could I be considered creative?!

Let me help you reframe your definition of what is creative and more importantly, WHO is creative.

Here are just a few of the characteristics associated with creativity:

– Curious

– Flexible

– Imaginative

– Future-oriented

– Resourceful

– Prepared to make mistakes

– Adaptable

– Sees possibilities

– Open mindedness

– Synthesizes information for others

– Sees connections

– Visually oriented

– Motivator

– Willing to take a risk

– Takes the initiative

An intriguing list, yes? And most likely not at all what you thought it would be.

Can you find at least a couple of those characteristics that describe you – especially when it comes to your business? I have no doubt that you can.

Which proves my point: YOU are creative.

And your business is going to succeed when you allow yourself to express your creativity.

In fact, expressing your creativity is indeed essential to the success of your business.

So let yourself go all out and let loose! Stop telling yourself and everyone else that you aren’t creative.

About Margie Beiswanger

I am passionate about showing you how your brilliance can shine even brighter!

I teach entrepreneurs how to translate their unique expertise into signature programs so they can reach more of their ideal clients, leverage their time, expand their business, and earn a good living. Let me show you how. Visit http://TransformYourBrilliance.com to learn more.

3 Systems to Set Up When You Don’t Know Where to Start

Recently I held a laser consulting call with a client, and she basically came on the phone and said to me,

“Tracey, I’m surrounded by paper. I don’t even know where to start to get organized.”

Sound familiar?

I know for many of you this is a big issue. And “just not knowing where to start” when it comes to running your business is a major source of overwhelm in itself.

You started your business because you had a passion to coach/serve people… you didn’t start it because you wanted to organize your paper piles! And yet, this is the reality. If your business is going to succeed, and you’re going to do the work that you love to do, you have to create systems to support you in your business so that you can focus on doing what you love.

It’s a bit of a Catch-22. But with a bit of guidance and support, you can easily create the right systems to grow your business.

So, I’m sure you want to know what I shared with my client?

Here are my top three systems to get you started if you don’t know where to start:

System #1: Create Client Files

For every client that you’re currently working with, create their own individual file. These can be simple plain manila folders, or you can use something much more pretty and eye-catching. I personally love brightly colored files as they brighten up my office. Each of my private clients has their own, brightly-colored folder.

Once you’ve created your individual client files, store them alphabetically in a file draw or plastic file crate. Then only take them out when you need to work with that client, and put them back once done.

This is a very simple and easy way to get those papers off your desk and into a more organized system. And keeping it simple by alphabetizing your client files really does work.

System #2: Create Content Binders

Another issue this particular client had was where to store all the content she created for live workshops, teleclasses, programs etc. At the moment they were all on her desk and she couldn’t find anything.

I too have a ton of content from the various teleclasses, webinars, and virtual workshops that I’ve held over the years. And as I’m a visual person and don’t enjoy working directly from a PC screen, I tend to print out a lot of stuff. So I shared with her how I store my content papers.

I simply have a 3-inch ring binder and use divider tabs to separate out the various workshops and teleclasses. So for my free teleclasses that I regularly hold, I have a 3-inch ring binder (blue) called Teleclasses. For my virtual workshops that I run through the School for Online Business Success I have another 3-inch ring binder (orange) called SOBS Workshops. And for my Your Systems For Success program, I have an “official” binder that I store all of that program’s content in.

By utilizing different colored ring binders I can quickly grab the one that I need.

This sounds simple, I know… but it works! And simplicity is the key to success.

System #3: Tracking Your Articles

This particular client also wanted to know how to keep track of all of her articles that she’d written and published in her newsletter or online. Again, I shared with her how I keep my articles organized.

All of my articles are stored in plain text format in a folder on my PC called Articles. Then I have a master spreadsheet that tracks:

When I last used the article in my newsletter

Where I’ve published the article online, and when

When I added it to my blog

When I promoted it on social media

I have a complete overview of all of my articles, and where they’re being published, all in one place. Again, a very simple way to track and organize my content.

As you can see from the above, keeping it simple is how I organize my business. Business owners tend to over-think things and make it more complicated than it really is.

Honestly, the simpler you can make managing your business, the faster it will grow!

About Tracey Lawton

Online Business Development Strategist, Tracey Lawton, teaches life coaches, business coaches, and virtual assistants how to become more organized, streamlined, and automated so that they don’t constantly bottleneck projects and processes. Having the right systems in place leads to consistent revenues, more clients, and less stress and overwhelm. Find out if you have the right systems in place for your business with the free quiz, “Is Your Business Set Up To Fail?” at http://bizsuccessquiz.com

Previously on Coaching Confidence:

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